


The Sleeping Madman

by hannahthewriter



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-14
Updated: 2012-07-14
Packaged: 2017-11-09 22:42:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/459308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahthewriter/pseuds/hannahthewriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When best friends Laila, Marnie, and Roxy stumble across a blue police box outside their school in the year 3004, they aren't quite sure what to make of it. Or the man sleeping inside. But in a supposed "utopia" where anything unfamiliar is terminated, the three sheltered girls run away with the mysterious man on a journey across the stars...and run into many familiar faces on the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sleeping Madman

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! As you can see, this is my first work posted on the lovely AO3. The summary will probably be edited eventually as I'm not quite happy with it yet, but I quite like the title. I do hope you enjoy this first chapter, as it is really the first I still really liked reading even after leaving it on my hard drive for so long. And now, without further ado, I present The Sleeping Madman.
> 
> I would also like to add that the archive warnings and rating are for what is to come. Sort of foreshadowing, I guess.
> 
> Warning: This could have a potential trigger if you're sensitive to/can't read about what happened on September 11.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, nor do I own any familiar characters or objects. I only own Laila, Marnie, Roxy, and the plot, along with other minor OCs. I'm not making any money with this fanfic nor will I ever (most likely). This is for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of the readers.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch..._

“And therefore, I’ve learned a dear lesson to never ever reach out for a snappin’ turtle ever.”

“You said ‘ever’ twice.”

“What’s your point?” Laila rolled her eyes as they continued through the forest, Roxy making sure she stepped on every dead leaf that came into sight. Marnie was watching with the ghost of a smile. She was trailing behind lazily.

“Marnie, pick up the pace! We can’t afford to lose anyone.” She quickly caught up with them, her blonde ringlets bouncing on her shoulders as she ran. “Are you feeling well?” She nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. “Are you certain?”

“Blimey Laila!” Roxy exclaimed with a laugh. “Leave the poor girl alone! She’s obviously fine, ‘else she’d say somethin’. Right?” Roxy gave Marnie a piercing stare and the blonde nodded; her bright green eyes were slightly widened with surprise at the sudden...well...glower that she’d received from her friend. They walked in silence for a bit, which was surprising considering Roxy could never shut her mouth. “Where are we goin’, anyway?” Laila rolled her eyes. Of course, she had to go and ruin the peace.

“Just be patient, we’re almost there.” Her fellow teenager huffed and continued stomping through the leaves. “It took me forever to make a proper camouflage for it, considering how massive the thing is.”

“What is it?” Marnie asked, her voice as soft as always. The sound of rushing water nearly drowned her question out.

“You’ll see,” Laila replied with a coy smile. Roxy and Marnie exchanged hesitant glances. They approached the river and shivered at just the thought of how cold the rushing water could be. The white foam splashed against the rocks, landing on Marnie’s sneakers and nearly getting in Roxy’s eye. “I’m surprised that the Sweepers hadn’t found it before me. They usually pick up everything in these parts.” Roxy scratched the shell of her ear, one of her “I’m bored let’s move on” habits. She was getting fidgety.

Marnie said something, but it was drowned out by the thundering river. “Sorry?”

“She asked if you took your medication this morning,” Laila shouted over the rapids. Roxy frowned, unable to remember. “C’mon, we’re gonna have to cross.” Roxy laughed, but it lacked any sort of mirth.

“Like hell I’m gettin’ in that water!”

“We aren’t getting in the water, you idiot,” Laila replied, then shot her arm out. The other two followed her gaze and saw a fallen tree acting as a makeshift bridge. Marnie gave Roxy a look and started down the river’s shore towards the log. Roxy hurried after her, and was about to step on it when Laila put out an arm to stop her. “Hold on, Marnie’s gotta do her thing.” Roxy canted her head to the side, her deep blue eyes flickering over to Marnie. The young girl was staring intensely at the log before bending down to pick up a stone. It was smooth and rounded from having been in the water.

Marnie studied the rock for a moment before tossing it out onto the log. It landed right in the middle, directly above the river. The only sound was the rushing rapids as they stared intensely at the log. Marnie seemed to approve of this result and stepped onto the fallen tree. Roxy made a move to go towards her, but Laila simply shook her head. Carefully, with each step precisely placed, the blonde made her way to the center of the fallen tree. She bounced a little to test its stability, all with her friends watching anxiously.

Then, she turned to them and beckoned for them to join her. Roxy was immediately on the tree, following along with Laila trailing behind. Being the oldest (only by a couple months), Laila took it upon herself to always watch after them.

They made it to the other side after an almost-accident or two. Laila then took the lead again, weaving through the trees. Roxy wrapped an arm around Marnie’s shoulders so that she wouldn’t trail behind again. The sun bore down like a heat lamp, making them sweat in their winter coats even though it was December and there was a frost on the ground. Marnie eventually twisted her ringlets into a bun, while Roxy pulled her thick black waves into a ponytail. Laila’s long, straight brown hair had already been pulled back, the natural neon highlights that streaked through it glinting in the sunlight. The school had tried to get her to dye them to brown, but she refused. She was in detention for the rest of the year because of it.

“We’re almost there,” she assured them with a smile.

Finally, they arrived in a small clearing. Laila began looking around frantically before turning to them. “I can’t find it!” she exclaimed, reaching up to grip her head. “How is that even possible?”

“It’s perfectly possible,” Roxy began, and Marnie had to bite back a smile. “See, _obviously_ the Sweepers got to it last night, and now it’s-oof!” There was a thump and suddenly Roxy was sitting on her bum, rubbing her forehead. The air in front of her shimmered before it slowly turned blue, revealing a sapphire box. Roxy scrambled to her feet, bumping into Marnie on the way. Laila smiled smugly.

“See! This is my big discovery!” The other two teenagers stared in awe. “It’s called a police phone box. It’s s’posed to be older than the Laws themselves.”

“That’s not possible,” Roxy muttered. “ _Nothin’_ can be older than the Laws and still be in such pristine condition.”

“Wow Rox,” Laila giggled, “big words.” Roxy rolled her eyes and reached out. She lightly gripped one of the corners and ran her hand down it, feeling the rough wood against her palm. All three of them jumped when the door opened with an ominous creak.

“Alright,” Roxy muttered, “who wants to go in the scary blue box first?”

“Oh please,” Marnie muttered, “look how big it is. I doubt all of us will even fit.” She grew up in the nice side of England, so her accent was akin to that of a princess. Or rather, what a princess might sound like. Elegant and always so soft. And yet, her elegant voice was capable of making grown men, her own _teachers_ , cry with how much more intelligent she is than them. Her soft voice could ooze venom, if she allowed it to. She was the youngest, her fifteenth was three months ago, and the smallest of the group. Her height just barely reached that of a twelve year old.

“I’ll go first,” Laila finally piped up. “I might as well, you know? Since I found the thing.” Laila was American. Now, one from some other era might not think this to be such an odd thing. But it was. Her family had emigrated from Massachusetts when she was a child. As far as Roxy and Marnie knew, she was the only American in Great Britain. Her father is a high figure in parliament, which was why the Stone family has yet to be booted from the country. She was the oldest, sixteen in a few weeks, and the tallest. Tall enough to touch their dorm’s ceiling standing on the bed.

“Well, maybe I want to go first!” Roxy cut in defiantly. She grew up in Wales after it went south, so she was tougher than the others and had a cheeky way of forming her words to prove it. Although, she does have her moments of not-so-random intelligence. She’s obnoxious, with a severe case sarcasm and a tendency to ramble on and on and tell the most ridiculous, pointless, longest stories either of the girls had ever heard. It was like the word “quiet” wasn’t even in her vocabulary. But Marnie and Laila put up with that because she is fiercely loyal to the pair, and wouldn’t tell a secret even if it meant losing her life. And she had a way of comforting that one would not expect upon first meeting her. She was fifteen and a half, an age she liked to often proclaim, and the average height for a teenager, perhaps a bit taller.

“Don’t be a fool, Roxanne,” Marnie muttered. “We all know you’re too afraid.”

“Am not!”

“Are too.” Roxy huffed.

“Fine, we’ll go together.” Laila nodded.

“That sounds fair. Is everyone ready?” There were nods and they took each other’s hands. Before anyone could go back, Roxy pulled them forward into the box with so much force that they went flying onto their stomachs. They had expected to bump into the back of the call box, but instead were faced with a floor. “What the hell?” Laila muttered, immediately scrambling to her feet. The other two followed, staring at the sight before them.

The floor that they were on led to a group of stairs, which led to a console in the middle, but everything was so dark inside that it was hard to see. They could make out circular holes dotting the walls and a few staircases here and there, but that was it. The other two got to their feet as well, looking around. Roxy was the first to start up the steps, not leaving any room for discussion about it. Marnie and Laila followed warily. The blonder of the trio approached the console and gently ran her hand over it. Without hesitating, she pushed a random button.

The door suddenly slammed and everything whirled to life. Marnie gasped and stumbled backwards into the railing, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. The lights switched on, nearly blinding the trio. The long tube of the console turned blue, showing that there were other, smaller tubes inside. It was partially covered by an orange thing, and the tubes reached up to the roof, where there was a big circle that shrank as it closed in on itself. The floor below them was clear, revealing more wires and even a small swing. They were bathed in orange and blue light.

“What in the _hell_?!” Roxy screeched, running to the door in an attempt to open it, but it refused to budge. “The bloody door won’t open!” Suddenly, everything went quiet. Then, slowly, a separate staircase rose to a high landing that they hadn’t noticed before. The machine was still, as if waiting for them to follow it. Marnie started towards it. “Are you bonkers?” Roxy hissed. “You haven’t the slightest clue what’s up there!” Marnie looked up at the stairs before her.

“It can’t be any worse than what’s out there,” she murmured, then started up the stairs. Laila looked over her shoulder at Roxy before following Marnie up the staircase. Roxy gaped at them before growling and mumbling obscenities under her breath as she followed behind. Their footsteps were soft as they climbed to the top. They reached the top and looked around. It didn’t seem like there was anywhere else for them to go. The paths to the left and right just led to dead ends.

There was a sound like air leaving a tire, and the wall suddenly opened in front of them. Laila gasped and took a single step back, while Roxy peered inside.

It was a hallway. One, singular hallway that led only straight. And at the end of that hallway was a door. One, singular door. The friends glanced at each other before summoning up all their courage and starting down that hallway. The floor was similar to the stairs, and practically silenced their footsteps as they walked. Once they were past the doorway, the wall closed behind them and the lights flickered on.

“I feel like I’m in a bad horror movie,” Laila whispered before the trio started down the hallway towards the door. It only said one word. Bedroom. There wasn’t a knob or anything, just the word printed across the top and the white, paneled walls around them. Roxy reached forward and pressed her fingertips to the door. With the same sound as before, the door slid inward, and then to the side. Stepping into the room, the girls were in awe.

The ceiling above was space itself. Galaxies swirled and an occasional comet passed by. The floor was similar to the walls, which were curved out like a concave mirror. A bed hovered just above the floor, and in that bed was a man.

He was lying still, with his arms out from under the linens and resting at his sides. He looked like the male version of sleeping beauty. His light brown hair was tousled and he looked rather peaceful.

“Is he dead?” Roxy whispered.

“I dunno, poke him,” Laila hissed back. Roxy grimaced, but nonetheless walked forward. Because when Roxanne Howard gets the chance to poke something, she’s gonna take it. She reached out and prodded his cheek with her finger. Then, her eyebrows creased as she reached forward and felt his forehead.

“No, he ain’t dead,” she muttered. “’Else he’d be cold. But he’s warm.”

“Well, does he live here?” Laila muttered, crossing the room to sit at his bedside. Roxy reached down and stuck her finger below his jaw, looking at her watch. Marnie sat at his other side and both Laila and Marnie took each of his hands.

“Hello?” Marnie asked quietly. “Can you hear me?”

“I feel a pulse,” Roxy replied, and was about to remove her fingers when the man’s eyes suddenly flew open and he gasped, bolting upright. The girls screamed and scrambled to get backwards while he looked around wildly. His hazel eyes landed on the girls, and his brow creased.

“What...what year is it?” he asked, obviously disoriented. The girls all glanced at each other. “How’d you get in my ship?!”

“Ship?” Laila asked incredulously, before laughing. “My God, he’s crazy!”

“I’m not crazy!” he replied almost immediately, sounding defiant. “I just don’t happen to know what year it is. This is odd, because usually my time sense is really good.”

“How long have ya been asleep, mate?” Roxy asked, slowly getting to her feet.

“I...don’t know, I’m afraid,” he replied, scratching the top of his head. “I don’t remember much of anything after...” He trailed, his eyes flickering over the girls’ faces. “Who are you?”

“We found your...ship,” Marnie said softly. “I’m Marnie Somers, that’s Laila Stone and Roxanne Howard.” The other two waved awkwardly.

“We go to Westbrook Academy,” Laila explained, “just south of here. I was the one that found this box a couple days ago.” The man nodded. “Are you alright? I mean, you aren’t sick or anything, are you?” He shook his head.

“I don’t get sick, not anymore.” Roxy arched a brow. “I suppose I should give you my name. I’m The Doctor.”

“A doctor? Doctor of what?” Roxy asked.

“No, not _a_ doctor. _The_ Doctor.”

 _“_ The Doctor? Is that all? Doctor who?” The Doctor smiled a little.

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Laila’s eyes widened a little and she took a small step back, despite the jesting tone to his voice. “Oh, I’m joking! I couldn’t kill three teenage girls.” They were obviously still very wary. “I still don’t know what year it is.”

“It’s the year 3004. How ‘round the bend are you?” Roxy questioned, and then scrambled to her feet when the Doctor suddenly leapt out of bed. He was a lanky man, and rather clumsy, judging from how he nearly fell flat on his face.

“The year 3004?! That means...everyone’s gone. Even Amy.” Marnie’s eyebrows furrowed, but it was Laila who spoke up.

“Amy? Who’s Amy?” The Doctor stopped at that, looking down at the trio.

“A...she’s an old friend of mine.” Laila nodded, but seemed unconvinced.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Marnie’s quiet voice questioned. The Doctor looked over at her.

“No. She was my best friend.” All three girls instinctively moved closer to each other.

“What happened to her?” Roxy asked quietly, for once.

The Doctor looked over at the three teenagers that had woken him from his sleep. He wasn’t sure how they did it, and frankly he didn’t care. He just knew that he was up and running again. The quiet one, Marnie, was staring at him with naturally large, inquisitive green eyes. She looked to be the youngest of them all, but he could sense a hidden intelligence within her. Laila looked like the intelligent one, with her spectacles and all, and spoke with an accent that reminded him of Jack Harkness. She was obviously the oldest, although the neon streaks through her hair proved her immaturity. Roxanne was the one that reminded him of Amy, the way she seemed loud and honest and blunt. However, her quiet question startled him.

“Would you believe me if I said that I was an alien that was over a thousand years old?” he asked, bending to look each of them in the eye. They were silent for a moment.

“Poppycock,” Roxanne muttered, her dark blue eyes wide. “If you’re over a thousand years old, then that means you’re older than the laws. And _nothin_ ’ can be older than the Laws and look so young.”

“What are the laws?” the Doctor asked, and Marnie and Laila groaned. Roxanne’s eyes grew wide and she straightened.

“The Three Laws of Great Britain are laws created by Parliament over two hundred years ago after a fleet of Daleks nearly destroyed the world a century or so previous. Nobody truly knows what the Three Laws are, but are programmed with how to follow them since birth.” She didn’t sound like Roxanne. She sounded like a robot, like that ship thing with all the mini people inside from when River tried to kill Hitler. “Anyone who breaks the laws will be sentenced to immediate execution, as declared by Law number two, subsection three, of the Three Laws.” She blinked and shook her head. “What were we talkin’ about?” The Doctor looked to the other two girls.

“They programmed Roxy’s brain a little too much,” Laila explained. “See, when they program you, they also give you a bunch of smarts that will activate when you turn thirteen. They gave her too many smarts. She’s basically a walking encyclopedia. She knows everything that has ever happened, and everything having to do with the Laws. She’s also got a photographic memory.”

“Everything that’s ever happened, eh?” The Doctor asked, and crouched so that he and Roxy were seeing eye-to-eye. “Tell me Roxy, what happened on September 11, 2001?” Her eyes glazed over again as she straightened.

“On September 11, 2001, a group of Muslim terrorists hijacked four airplanes. Two of them crashed into New York’s World Trade Center, one crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C, and the last crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. There were 2,976 deaths and over 6,000 people were injured on that day.” She blinked, and shook her head again. “What’s goin’ on?”

“I’m impressed,” the Doctor muttered, getting to his feet.

“Wait, about what?”

“C’mon, I should show you something,” Laila said, and walked from the room. Roxy was questioning Marnie as they walked out as well, and the Doctor hurried after. They made their way back down the steps and the Doctor smiled lovingly at the TARDIS console before hurrying out of the door. It was biting cold, and he shivered as he stepped outside. Laila was peering up at the sky before she huffed and trudged through the leaves. He followed, glad that he had put on his slippers. “Alright,” she finally said, stopped at the river’s edge, “you see those purple lines in the sky?” She shot her arm out and the Doctor followed to where it was pointing. He did indeed see violet lines stretching across the sky, criss-crossing each other.

“Yeah, what about them?”

“That’s what keeps Great Britain safe. Those are electrical wires that are beamed from one end of the island to the other, and coast to coast as well.”

“Why are those there?” Laila noticed his shivering and smirked.

“Let’s get back to your ship. I’ll tell you the story there.”


End file.
